Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets Statements on Ydanis Rodriguez’s Appointment as Next DOT Commissioner

NEW YORK — In response to Mayor-elect Eric Adams announcing his appointment of Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez as the next New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner, Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets released the following statements:

Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris said:

“On behalf of Transportation Alternatives, we congratulate Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez on his appointment as the next Department of Transportation commissioner. Rodriguez’s appointment is a strong sign from Mayor-elect Eric Adams that he intends to make safe, equitable streets a priority in his administration.

Rodriguez has been a powerful advocate for safe streets in every borough of New York City. As chairman of the Council’s Transportation Committee for eight years, Rodriguez joined with crash victims and their loved ones to call for life-saving safety investments and advanced bold, forward-thinking legislation, such as the Streets Master Plan, which requires the DOT to build hundreds of miles of protected bus lanes, bike lanes and pedestrian space, the Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program — to curtail the most reckless drivers — and a new law vastly expanding DOT’s role in crash investigations.

We look forward to our continued partnership with Rodriguez and the DOT to continue reclaiming streets for people, as we’ve envisioned in NYC 25x25 and Seven Steps platform, to make New York City a better, safer, and more equitable city.

We thank Commissioner Hank Gutman for his work and leadership at DOT, including expanding bike parking, installing the Brooklyn Bridge protected bike lane, and advancing the NYC Streets Plan.”

Families for Safe Streets Co-Founder Amy Cohen said:

“As traffic deaths continue to rise in New York City to record levels, Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez is a strong choice from Mayor-elect Eric Adams to turn the tide on traffic violence. In the City Council, Rodriguez has consistently been a champion of safe streets, from advancing the Streets Master Plan and the Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program to implementing and expanding Vision Zero, while holding City leaders accountable to its implementation.

Families for Safe Streets is a club that nobody should have to join. We have all lost a family member or suffered a serious injury in a traffic crash. As Department of Transportation Commissioner, Rodriguez can stop our membership from growing. He has joined with crash victims and their families in solidarity and knows how important safe streets investments are. On behalf of Families for Safe Streets, we congratulate Rodriguez on his appointment and look forward to continuing to work with him in his new position.”

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